


my life's sweet like cinnamon

by lu_woo



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Age Regression, Caregivers NCT, Little Space, Little!Johnny, M/M, Platonic Relationships, bunch of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-04-08 12:14:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19106899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lu_woo/pseuds/lu_woo
Summary: johnny likes to find comfort in the smaller things and he's thankful that the rest of NCT are able to help him when he needs it





	my life's sweet like cinnamon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ddoie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddoie/gifts).



> { hi there~ this fic is a gift for my dearest friend [ddoie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddoie/pseuds/ddoie) who i'm doing a fic trade with }  
> { this fic is about **little space/age regression** and includes pacifiers and bottles so if that makes you uncomfy for whatever reason then this might not be for you~ }

Doyoung is perceptive. He can pick up on shifts in the others moods rather quickly and easily, at least when it comes to the ones he’s closest too. Jungwoo is a given, easily being able to tell when the other is in a slump or there’s something on his mind. Yuta is another one that can quickly be detected when there’s a change in his thoughts. There’s others that are a bit harder for him to catch like Taeyong and Jaehyun. But the one that Doyoung can notice the fastest is Johnny. 

It’s not that Johnny wears his heart on his sleeve. Of course like any normal human, there are bad days and good days and sometimes every emotion is able to be read on his face. Most of the time though, Johnny does a good job at hiding his negative emotions, good at keeping his smile on his lips even on the roughest of days. 

Doyoung notices the smaller things though. The way Johnny’s fingers rub together, picking at his nails as they sit on the floor of the practice room. How he bites at the inside of his cheek, foot wiggling against the hardwood. Then there’s the way that Johnny lifts his hand up, finger twirling in his hair every now and again as they listen to Taeyong talk. 

To anyone else these small actions aren’t hardly worth analyzing. They’re rather normal behaviors and the other members can be seen doing them from time to time. Yet for Johnny, these little things catch Doyoung’s attention. It makes Doyoung scoot over towards Johnny, noticing the way the boy looks at him with wide eyes. 

Johnny bites down on his lip when Doyoung places his hand on Johnny’s knee, fingers gently squeezing it through his sweatpants. It’s a silent question, one that only the two of them hear. A question that has Johnny’s eyes lighting up and his fingers curling against his thighs, head dipping in the smallest of nods. 

As quickly as Doyoung slid over to Johnny, he’s standing up and walking towards Taeyong. The boy has stopped talking and is currently on his phone, Doyoung sees him searching through his large playlist, searching for the song that they’re going to wind down to. Taeyong’s head turns slightly, eyes only meeting with Doyoung’s for a moment before he goes back to focusing on the list of songs he’s scrolling through. 

“I’m gonna take Johnny for a bit,” he says quietly, eyes glancing over to Johnny. The boy is busy talking with Yuta, eyes curved down into crescents and his cheeks big from a smile. 

Taeyong looks over at him, lips parted and phone pulled down from his face. “He’s okay, right?” 

Doyoung hums, nodding slowly as he watches the way Johnny claps his hands as he laughs at whatever him and Yuta are talking about. Taeyong is aware of what Doyoung and Johnny will do when they slip out of the practice room. They’re all aware of the special space that Johnny likes to fall into to give himself comfort. But for Johnny to start to slip in the middle of practice is something that always raises a little concern. Not in a bad way, just in a way that means he’s working himself too hard, too much in his head and is letting his thoughts get the best of him. 

“I guess this has been a pretty busy week.” Taeyong purses his lips out a bit, head tilting and eyes narrowing slightly. “Take as much time as Johnny needs. We’re pretty much finished anyways.” 

Instead of going over to Johnny, Doyoung makes his way to the wall where all their bags are scattered along the floor. He pushes a few around, careful not to tip over the ones that have been left open while he searches for a small bag that he’s tucked away under his own. As Doyoung lifts the bag up, his fingers pull the zipper open, hand pushing the things inside around, making sure he remembered to bring what he normally does. Once he’s confirmed he has what he needs, he zips the bag shut and hooks it over his shoulder. 

Two fingers tap against Johnny’s shoulder and the boy quickly turns around, eyes wide as he looks up at Doyoung. The younger one pats the bag that’s resting along his hip and Johnny’s face immediately lights up. Doyoung can’t help but laugh at the way Johnny scrambles to his feet, hands tugging his sweatpants up before grabbing Doyoung’s hand, squeezing it gently. 

Doyoung watches Johnny slide further and further into his comfort space the closer they get to their favorite place. It’s just a simple, small, break room that has a microwave, mini fridge, and a couch and tv. But it’s the place that they’ve found themselves in more often lately with the increase of activities. He can feel the way Johnny begins to squeeze his hand, fingers twitching against his when Doyoung opens the door. He hears the way Johnny has begun sliding his feet against the floor instead of picking his feet up with every step. Then there’s the adorable giggling and the way he runs to plop on the couch, face burying against one of the pillows that’s tucked against the armrest. 

“Do you want the tablet or your activity book, baby?” 

There’s a hum from Johnny before he hears a small gasp. “Tablet! Please!” 

Doyoung smiles, setting the bag onto the small counter next to the microwave. His hands pull out the tablet and he can’t help but laugh at how Johnny begins to bounce on the couch, hands wiggling at him. “I think Hunnie told me that he downloaded a new game for you the other day too.” 

Johnny lets out a noise that sounds like a mix of a gasp and a squeal, something that brings a smile to Doyoung’s lips. His fingers thread through Johnny’s hair, watching as he unlocks the tablet and Doyoung quietly points to the new game icon that has appeared. He waits until it loads up and Johnny begins playing before he pulls away, placing a gentle kiss on the top of his head as he does so. 

Fingers pull out a small bottle out from the bag next. Doyoung hums to himself, hand tugging open the fridge and wrapping around a jug of milk that’s nearly empty. He makes a mental note to go out and buy some before tomorrow, especially at the rate that Johnny is going through it. Doyoung takes a moment to peek back at Johnny and he’s greeted with furrowed brows and fingers quickly tapping at the screen of the tablet. 

By now, Doyoung has making a bottle down and he’s able to do it without much thought. Johnny likes a good amount of honey and just a tiny bit of cinnamon. He likes it warmed up for only forty-five seconds and he likes it to cool down for ten seconds after before he can drink it. 

“Okay pause for a few minutes.” Johnny lets out a small whine and he parts his lips, about to say something before Doyoung reaches over and taps the pause button in the corner. “Your milk is gonna get cold if we wait much longer.” There’s a pout on the boy’s lips as Doyoung plucks the tablet from his hands, setting it on the coffee table in front of them. 

Johnny’s lips purse out into an even bigger pout that Doyoung quickly kisses away. The older boy hums, eyes smiling up at Doyoung as he slides onto his lap. It takes him a minute to get comfortable. Doyoung has to scoot over, hip pressed against the armrest so Johnny can stretch his legs out, own feet wiggling against the armrest on the other side. An arm gets wrapped around Johnny, fingers curling against his shirt, Doyoung’s brows furrowing at the feeling of his ribs under the fabric. 

“Comfy?” Doyoung smiles as Johnny leans his cheek against Doyoung’s shoulder, nodding quickly.

With a soft sigh of content, Doyoung grabs the bottle he’s set on the table while Johnny got on his lap. It’s still warm, perhaps a little cooler than Johnny likes it but he knows he won’t make a fuss about it, at least not this time. Johnny’s eyes close the moment his lips are wrapped around the bottle. His hand curls against Doyoung’s chest, fingers gently clutching the fabric as he begins to drink. 

Doyoung leans his head back, tilting it slightly so he can still watch as Johnny sucks on the bottle. It’s not only comforting for Johnny to be like this but for Doyoung as well. He was the first one to find out about how Johnny slips into a space like this. It wasn’t on accident. Doyoung didn’t walk in on him playing with his tablet and sucking on a pacifier. He didn’t catch him watching children’s cartoons in his soft onesie that he keeps locked up most of the time. It was Johnny that came to Doyoung and told him about it. 

It was after dinner one night while everyone was getting washed up and ready for bed. Johnny had slid onto Doyoung’s bed, bottom lip rolling between his teeth and worry tugging his face down. There was a quiet _can I talk to you about something_ and a small nod from Doyoung, his own face contorted into concern. It was then that Johnny let everything out at once, barely giving himself time to breathe. Told Doyoung how he likes to get into this space where he feels so small. It allows him to slip away from all his worries, puts him in a place that he can just be happy. 

Johnny was nervous, terrified to let his secret out, scared that Doyoung would think it was weird or stupid. But Doyoung didn’t think it was either of those things. _Comfort is different for everyone, Johnny, and if this is what makes you happy, then that’s perfectly okay._ Hearing those words made Johnny’s eyes light up and his shoulders relax. Doyoung could immediately tell the weight that’s been lifted off of him after not only telling Doyoung but hearing his response as well. 

It started off with simple things. Johnny would wander into Doyoung’s room before bed, arms out and fingers wiggling for a hug. They would cuddle for a while, Johnny’s head nuzzled against Doyoung’s chest, arms wrapped around him. Long hugs after practice that ended with Johnny falling asleep on Doyoung. Then it became Johnny shuffling in with his tablet, youtube video up and ready with his favorite cartoon. The next time it would be the same only Johnny was wearing his very soft and cute onesie that had bears on it. 

The more comfortable Johnny got, the more he was able to slip into the space that Doyoung could tell made him happy. Shy and hesitant actions turned into bright smiles and a little too eager of a voice. With Johnny being more comfortable came him also being able to express the things that he likes. Doyoung also was able to do his research, looking up ways to make their time together when Johnny is little into something even better for him. 

Every time is different. There’s times where it’s as small as coloring together in the living room with the very expensive kit of crayons that Doyoung had bought them. Times where it’s running a bubble bath and washing Johnny’s hair until he ended up falling asleep in the tub and Doyoung has to drag him out and get him ready for bed. Then there are times like this where Johnny is spread out on Doyoung’s lap and there’s a bottle to his lips. It all depends on the day and how busy they’ve been. The more stressed out Johnny is, the deeper he goes. Luckily, Doyoung has been able to pick up on what Johnny needs rather quickly and can easily accommodate. 

There’s a gentle knock on the door that makes Doyoung tilt his head towards it. “Come in,” he says as he shifts Johnny on his lap, lifting him up for a moment so he can stretch his legs. 

Jaehyun is the one to peek his head in, eyes lighting up and lips curling into a smile. “Ah.” Doyoung raises an eyebrow at him and it makes Jaehyun laugh. “I know, I know,” he says while he shuts the door behind him. “No bothering him until he’s done.” 

The bottle was something rather new. It was brought up by Taeyong one morning at breakfast. It was a Saturday, one of the rare ones that they had gotten off. Both Taeyong and Doyoung busied themselves making breakfast for the others while Jungwoo and Yuta took care of Johnny. The suggestion came out of nowhere, slipping out of Taeyong’s mouth so easily, like he’s been thinking about it for a while. _He likes pacifiers so do you think he’d like bottles too?_ The question made Doyoung tilt his head, mouth parting because he’d never thought about it. _I’m going out later with him so if we find nice ones, we should try._

Johnny was shy at first about it, nose scrunching up and cheeks becoming red. Now however, Doyoung always thinks to stick a bottle in his bag wherever they go because it’s quickly become the thing that can calm Johnny down in an instant. 

Jaehyun walks over to them, fingers threading through Johnny’s hair slowly, cheeks cutely puffed and dimples showing. “He’s so cute,” Jaehyun sighs out along with a gentle laugh. 

“He really likes that game you downloaded for him.” Doyoung licks at his lips, tilting the bottle up slightly more, watching the way Johnny’s jaw moves slowly. “He didn’t even want to put it down for his bottle.” 

“I actually have the game downloaded on my phone,” Jaehyun says as he brushes Johnny’s bangs to the side. “It’s really fun.” 

Jaehyun’s hand pulls away when Johnny stretches his legs out, making the softest groan. Doyoung smiles, gently pulling the bottle away from him and leans over to set it on the coffee table. “Up, up.” 

It’s only a matter of seconds before Johnny spots Jaehyun as he’s sitting up. Arms stretch out almost immediately and Doyoung can’t help but laugh and roll his eyes, fingers tugging down Johnny’s shirt and fixing his hair. “You want nothing to do with me the second you see Hunnie,” Doyoung teases, hand patting at Johnny’s back as the older one wiggles his arms up at Jaehyun. 

“You know he likes me to hold him when he’s sleepy.” Jaehyun sticks his tongue out, leaning down to wrap his arms around Johnny. 

“Because you have an abnormally high body temperature and he likes to be warm,” Doyoung spits out as Jaehyun lifts Johnny off his lap. 

Doyoung leans back against the couch, eyes narrowing as he watches Jaehyun pat at Johnny’s back gently, the other one resting his cheek on Jaehyun’s shoulder, lips still curled up into a smile. “Don’t be jealous,” Jaehyun teases, “You know he likes you the best anyways.” 

The door opens again, this time without a knock, and Doyoung watches as Jungwoo and Yuta peek their heads in. Johnny stirs in Jaehyun’s arms and soon, his own arms are being held up, fingers wiggling as Yuta does the same. 

“Johnny!” 

“Yuta!” 

Johnny pulls away completely from Jaehyun, jumping quickly and hair bouncing with every movement. The smaller one smiles, holding his arms out for Johnny to quickly run into. Yuta groans, wrapping his arms around Johnny as he picks him up, swinging him around. 

“Wanna play a game with me?” Johnny’s voice is slightly higher than normal and words are just slightly slurred. Johnny doesn't even wait for Yuta to answer before he’s running over to the coffee table and grabbing his tablet. “Hunnie downloaded it for me and it’s really fun!” Soon, Jaehyun joins the two, Johnny between them, fingers tapping quickly at the screen while he tries to explain the game the best he can while playing. 

Doyoung smiles up at Jungwoo who’s walking towards him, plopping down next to him on the couch, arm wrapped around his shoulder. “You’re such a good mommy,” Jungwoo says with a quick kiss on the cheek. “Look how quickly you cheered him up.” 

Jungwoo is right. There’s not a single trace of stress left on Johnny’s face. His eyes are shining with happiness, lips tightly pressed together as he concentrates on his game, shoulders relaxed and the second he smiles, his happiness radiates. The feeling gets even stronger when Yuta presses a kiss to his cheek and tells him that he did a good job. 

Seeing Johnny so happy makes Doyoung’s heart swell. Remembering all those months ago when Johnny was _terrified_ to tell him about how he likes to slip into his little space makes Doyoung even more proud of him. It started off small and only Doyoung knew for a while. Gradually, Johnny told the others one by one and they all found their own ways to help him indulge. 

Yuta will take him to the park and play on the swings occasionally bringing a soccer ball to kick around. Jaehyun likes to wrap him up in blankets and put their favorite Disney movie on. He’ll pull Johnny onto his lap and play with his hair, bottle against his lips. Jungwoo enjoys sitting at the dining table, crayons everywhere and a large variety of coloring books scattered along the table. Taeyong takes him to the river to ride a bike together and have picnics, eating sandwiches they made together that morning. Haechan and Mark bring out their favorite board games and teach Johnny how to play them and if he wins, they reward him with a trip for ice cream. Sicheng enjoys pushing all the chairs together in the kitchen and making a blanket fort under the dining room table where they tell scary stories and attempt to scare the others when they walk by. 

And Doyoung enjoys being the one that Johnny can come to and curl up against. Being the one that he can wake up in the middle of the night after a nightmare and be cuddled back to sleep after a bottle. Doyoung enjoys the feeling of being the one that Johnny can look at across the room, not even needing to speak, and Doyoung can grab his hand and take him to feel better. He knows Johnny appreciates it too, not needing to come over to him and whisper it in his ear whenever he needs comfort. Though he’s getting better at simply slipping into the space rather than going somewhere private. Doyoung knows he tries not to go into his little space when they’re working on practicing or promoting or on a schedule but when he does, he always likes to be alone with Doyoung or the others. At home, it’s much different and he no longer wants to hide away. 

“Doie! Hunnie said he’s gonna take me to the ice cream shop!” 

Doyoung smiles, watching the way Johnny bounces, hands clapping together and smile as bright as the sun outside. “I bet he did say that,” he lets out with a laugh. 

“Wanna come with us? Woo can come too.” 

“Please,” Jungwoo says with a whine, head nuzzling against Doyoung’s shoulder. “Ice cream sounds so good.” 

With a roll of his eyes, Doyoung nods, hand reaching up to ruffle Jungwoo’s hair. “I’ll come but you have to promise me that you’ll eat all your ice cream, Johnny.” Doyoung shrugs Jungwoo off his shoulder, pushing himself up off the couch. “And promise you won’t make a big mess like last time.” 

“I packed his bib,” Jaehyun says as he wraps his arms around Johnny, tickling his sides. 

Doyoung narrows his eyes at Jaehyun, arms crossing over his chest. “You planned on taking him out from the beginning, didn’t you?” 

Jaehyun doesn’t answer. He focuses on tickling Johnny more until the boy falls to the ground, laughs becoming high pitched and broken from his gasps for air. His head leans back against the ground, legs curled up and laughter still bubbling out from his chest. Once he gets his breathing back to a somewhat normal state, he lifts his arms up, fingers wiggling at Doyoung, a soft whine of _mommy help_ slipping past his lips. 

Once Johnny is back up on his feet, Doyoung fixes his shirt and hair, pressing a gentle kiss to his nose before pulling away. “Alright let’s go get ice cream then since Hunnie likes to spoil you rotten.” 

There’s a quick poke to Johnny’s cheek as Doyoung slides past both him and Jaehyun. Fingers pick up the bottle on the table and Doyoung grabs the bag that’s on the counter, slipping the bottle into the outside pocket. Doyoung pushes around the few other things inside, making sure he has his wipes (which will definitely be needed after ice cream), Johnny’s pacifier for the ride home, and his favorite panda plushie. 

“Doie let’s go!” Johnny whines, foot stomping on the ground slowly. 

When Doyoung looks back, he sees Johnny holding hands with both Jungwoo and Jaehyun, big pout on his lips and the fakest sadness all over his face. Doyoung smiles, jogging over to the three, tugging the bag onto his shoulder. “I’m coming. No whining or else mommy won’t let you pick which ice cream you get.” There’s a collective whine from all three of the boys and Doyoung rolls his eyes, hitting Jaehyun on the back of the head and pinching Jungwoo’s butt. “Same to you two.” 

“Yes, _mommy_ ,” Jaehyun says in a lovely singing voice that has both Johnny and Jungwoo bursting out into laughter. 

Doyoung walks behind them as they leave the room, shutting the door behind them. By the time he turns around, he sees Johnny has been lifted on Jaehyun’s back, cheek pressed against his head and giggles spilling out of his mouth. Yuta is making faces at him from the front and Jungwoo has his phone out, probably taking a video. 

It’s a sight that makes Doyoung sigh out in happiness. The fact that all of them can take care of Johnny while he’s little is something that makes Doyoung feel grateful for. Glad that Johnny doesn’t have to hide it from them anymore, be scared of judgement or ridicule (not that any of them would ever think to do that but it’s a worry that Johnny couldn’t dismiss no matter how hard he tried). They all coo at him whenever he wanders out for breakfast with his hair messy and pacifier flush against his lips. Gave into nearly whatever he wanted to do when he was little, happy to indulge and make him feel better. They absolutely love spoiling him rotten, practically like how Doyoung believes they’d do with an actual child. 

By the time they reach the car, Johnny is fast asleep on Jaehyun’s back, lips parted and drool beginning to leak into his hair. Jungwoo is the one to pluck him off Jaehyun and help Yuta slide him into his seat. Doyoung slides in next to him, buckling him in and fingers brushing his bangs to the side. He sets the bag on the ground, fingers pulling out the pacifier and gently pushing it past Johnny’s lips. Doyoung reaches back, blinding grabbing Jungwoo’s sweater that he’s taken off and folds it up, pushing it against the window as he softly tilts Johnny’s head. 

Once Doyoung is settled in his own seat, he reaches for Johnny’s hand, pulling it on his lap, thumb brushing at the side of his hand. Johnny shifts with a soft whine, body sliding to the left and head leaning down to Doyoung’s shoulder, Jungwoo’s hoodie slipping down off the window. 

Doyoung can’t help but let out a small laugh, kissing the top of Johnny’s head. “Have a good nap, Johnny.” There’s a mumble of words that Doyoung can’t make out, at least not until the end where he hears the softest _love you_ that makes his cheeks turn pink.


End file.
